Family Ties
by Takada Saiko
Summary: Jack and Ana Maria thought they'd left their friends the Pratts in their dust near fifteen years before, but what happens when they come back and decide to go after Ana once more? Can Jack save her this time?
1. Default Chapter

Title: Family Ties  
  
Author: Saiko  
  
A/N: Okay, I'm working through serious writer's block lately, so if it sucks, 'm sorry, mates... Really I am. Hopefully it won't suck too bad though. My brain's just been in that sleepy mode that summer and too much rain tends to settle it into. Ah well. I'd suggest you read "What Freedom Truly Is" before this one if you haven't. Just a friendly suggestion, because this has to do with that. I'm back on my regular track and this is set after "My Father's Son." Oh, I don't own the characters that Disney does. Too bad... They run about in my brain via plot lines anyway.  
  
**Chapter One: Old Memories Resurface  
**  
The morning light spilled into the room, making for a very irritated pirate captain that tried to hide from it under the sheets of his bed. He heard a small laugh from the person next to him. "You comin' out, Cap'n?"  
  
"Not if I can 'elp it, luv," Jack grumbled. "Care to join?"  
  
She grinned and slipped under the covers with him. "We can't hide all day, Jack."  
  
"Sure we can, luv."  
  
"But we're comin' into Port Royal today."  
  
"Oh yeah.... Too bad."  
  
"Jack!" Ana Maria growled as she pulled back the sheets. "Get your lazy rear outa bed."  
  
Jack put on his best pout. "Since when are ye orderin' me 'round, lass?"  
  
The dark haired girl grinned as he finally sat up. "Because I 'ave to or we'll be 'ere all day, luv."  
  
"An' tha's a problem?"  
  
"You going to let someone else captain your ship?"  
  
"Point."  
  
"Knew you'd be wakin' up more sooner or later."  
  
--------------------------------  
  
The _Pearl_ docked in Port Royal later that day. Her occupants were met with wary eyes, but no trouble. Jack and Ana made their way to the Turner house without incident. Well, without incident until a three – year – old attached himself to Jack's feet, demanding he walk. (A/N: I've had kindergarteners do this to me...)  
  
"Bill.... I can't walk with ye attached, lad."  
  
The little boy – a small replica of his father all ready – frowned and pouted. "Walk, Uncle Jack!"  
  
Jack started to respond when he heard a chuckle from Elizabeth who was holding the newest addition to the Turner household: Katherine Turner. "Jack, he's not going to let go."  
  
"'e's yer li'll treasure snipe!" the pirate captain grumbled. "Listen, lad, let me go now. I can't move like this. Ana, some 'elp, luv?"  
  
Ana Maria grinned wickedly. "Help, hmm? Yer on yer own, Cap'n, sorry."  
  
Jack frowned as he slowly tried to make his way up to the house with the lad attached to his ankles. It was an entertaining sight to be sure.  
  
"Bill, get off of him!" Will hollered as he appeared from the house.  
  
"Nice to see ye too, Will," Jack grumbled.  
  
Will grinned broadly. "You never come anymore. What's been keeping you?"  
  
"Ships to plunder an' villages to raid. Ye know the job, it's demanding."  
  
Will laughed. "Good to see you, Jack."  
  
The pirate captain returned the grin as he shook the hand Will had stretched out to him. He then averted his eyes downward to the boy still clinging. "Now get me outa this trap ye've set, whelp!"  
  
"Come on now, Bill. Let him go or he'll never come see us."  
  
The boy reluctantly let go of his "favorite uncle" and started inside. Jack watched him go with a small smile. He couldn't help but like the boy, though he'd never admit it aloud. No... That would never do.  
  
--------------------  
  
"There have been some interesting things happen lately," Elizabeth said as she sat down next to her husband. "Have either of you heard of a man named Douglas Pratt?"  
  
Ana Maria froze in her place. "Say tha' name again."  
  
"Douglas Pratt," Elizabeth repeated. "Do you know him?"  
  
Ana Maria and Jack exchanged glances. Ana's was nervous while her captain's was very thoughtful. "We met through him," Jack mumbled.  
  
"Not good circumstances?" Will offered.  
  
"Not at all." Jack shuddered slightly as unwanted images came unbidden to his mind. The circumstances in which he met Ana were not pleasant in the least, but the incidents before their meeting were even more frightening. He shuddered as he thought about Anderson's lovely chats that they had together, all the chats that had to do with the scars on his left arm and the P burned into his right. All those chats that had caused fevered dreams for months after and still reoccurring nightmares since his hanging three or four years before.  
  
"Who is he?" Elizabeth ventured.  
  
"A man more evil than you can imagine," Ana Maria answered. "And his little sister isn't much better. Is Emily Pratt along?"  
  
"Yes, I met her day before yesterday. Seemed nice enough, but there was something off."  
  
Jack chuckled at this. "You 'ave no idea, luv. No idea at all."

----------------

A/N: Yay! First Chapter! This one might be a bit slower than usual, folks. very sorry. I've been wrestling with writer's block and a novel idea. ::grumbles::


	2. ch 2

**Chapter Two: Young Miss Pratt**  
  
Jack and Ana forced the old memories down for a bit. They had come to visit with good friends, and visit their friends that shall. It was late into the evening before Ana noticed her captain's disappearance and found him standing in a dark room, eyes focused intently on the moon that rose in the sky.  
  
"Jack?"  
  
The pirate captain looked back slowly at his first mate. Their eyes met and she noticed an old look in his she hadn't seen in some time. "You're quite good at masking it for several hours," she said slowly, "but you can't hide it forever, hmm?"  
  
Jack gave her a quick smile that faded just as quickly as it come. "We're putting them in danger by being here."  
  
Ana Maria cocked a dark eyebrow. "Norrington's given us safe harbor here, Jack. Do you trust that?"  
  
"I don't trust the Pratts."  
  
"Neither do I, luv, but we've got deal here they'd never expect." She kissed his cheek softly and wrapped her arms around his neck. "We'll be fine. Will an' 'is family'll be fine. Hear me, Cap'n?"  
  
Jack pulled her closer and sighed into her dark hair. "Aye, luv, 'spose yer right."  
  
"I'm tired, Jack. I'm going to bed."  
  
"I'll be 'long in a minute, luv."  
  
Jack watched her go quietly as he turned his eyes back to the moon. If anything were to go wrong with this, he wasn't sure Norrington's truce would help them, nor the Turners, but he supposed that he'd burn that bridge when he came to it.  
  
-----------  
  
Ana Maria was awaken some time later in the night as the bed they slept on was shaken. She opened one eye lazily and saw Jack sitting up, hands shaking. "Dream?"  
  
He turned to haunted looking eyes toward her. "Aye."  
  
"What about?"  
  
He shook his head, his hair falling in his face with no bandana to hold it away. "Nothin', luv, sorry t' wake ye."  
  
Ana frowned as she wrapped her arms around Jack. "Don' push me away, Jack."  
  
"The Pratts showin' up brings up plenty of memories, luv. Ones right before the 'ole incident."  
  
"Anderson?"  
  
"Aye."  
  
Ana sighed. Jack had had nightmares after their encounter with Anderson some time before, but they had subsided. She did not think it would do him much good to be waking at all hours of the night once more to frightening dreams that made even her unrelenting and brave captain shake. She opened her mouth to see what might fall out when she heard a knock at the door. "Who on earth would call so late?"  
  
Jack stood slowly. "I'll go see." He stood - the unspoken command for her to stay put heeded for once- tugged a shirt over his head, and made his way down the hall. He nearly collided with a half asleep Will Turner. "Who'd be callin' this early? Or late?" Jack asked the younger man.  
  
"Don't know," Will responded slowly, blinking several times to try to banish the sleep from his eyes. He made his way to the door without another word to the dark haired pirate and opened it slowly. "Miss Pratt?"  
  
"I'm terribly sorry bother you at such a late hour, Mr. Turner," the young woman said, "but I simply couldn't stole away from my brother at any other time. Might I speak to Elizabeth for just a moment?"  
  
"She's sleeping."  
  
"But it's important!"  
  
Will forced himself not to frown at the winy voice that was produced from such a pretty face. She truly was spoiled to the very core. Thank the heavens that Elizabeth hadn't turned out that way. "I can tell her in the morning if you'd like."  
  
"Perhaps you know," she mumbled half to herself. "I ship docked today and I'm sure I've seen it before. The _Black Pearl_, wasn't it? I'm sorry, Mr. Turner, but I don't know anyone else in Port Royal, so I thought to ask Elizabeth if she knew anything of it."  
  
The blacksmith narrowed his eyes a bit. "What do you want with the _Black Pearl_, Miss Pratt?"  
  
"I know her captain," she answered proudly.  
  
"Know me indeed," Jack said lowly, finally making his presence known. "What do ye want, Emily Pratt?"  
  
Emily's eyes lit up at the sight of the dark skinned pirate captain. "Jack Sparrow!" she nearly squealed. "Is that really you? How long has it been?"  
  
"Not long enough."  
  
"Do you have my Ana Maria with you, Jack?"  
  
"Tha's none of yer business, missy. I'd suggest ye leave me crew alone, savvy? You'll be in over yer 'ead if ye come after us now. You or yer brother."  
  
"You couldn't do anything to me, Jack," she said as she approached him, tugging at his loose shirt.  
  
Jack grabbed her by the wrist, twisting it at an awkward angle, his eyes narrowed dangerously as Will had only seen a few times before. This was the side of the pirate captain Jack Sparrow that few saw: the side hell bent on protection of someone and willing to kill anyone who might hurt that said person. "You stay away from Ana Maria, ye 'ear, luv? I'll rip ye and yer brother to shreds if ye don'."  
  
Emily finally tugged her hand free, but only because Jack let her loose. Her expression was that of horror as she stumbled out of the house, eyes tearing up. "You'll regret it, Jack," she mumbled. "I'll get her back and you'll be with her, I can guarantee that." She gave him a sadistic smile, even if fear was at the corners. "You'll have a new story to tell those who ask, hmm?"  
  
"Jus' get out."  
  
Will turned to his friend as the girl left. "You two have a history."  
  
"We do."  
  
"Care to tell?"  
  
"Not really."  
  
"Please?"  
  
"Sit down, lad. It's a bit of a tale."  
  
------------------  
  
"Who was at the door last night?" Ana Maria asked the next morning.  
  
Jack picked the little boy up that had latched himself, once again, to his "favorite uncle's" ankles. "Emily Pratt."  
  
"What was she doin' 'ere?"  
  
"Lookin' for me and you."  
  
"Tha's not encouraging."  
  
Jack nodded his agreement. "I think our stay'll be cut short, luv, sorry," he said to Elizabeth.  
  
"Oh Jack! You shouldn't let Emily Pratt run you two off."  
  
"I'm not gonna be the cause of trouble to yer 'ouse. I was the cause of far too much trouble tha' made it's way to ol' Bill Turner's 'ouse an' I won't be fer this one."  
  
"That's stupid, Jack," Will said from the breakfast table. "You have safe harbor here."  
  
"I know, but..."  
  
"No buts about it, Captain Sparrow!" Elizabeth announced. "You both are staying and that's final. I won't here another word from you, no don't here dare. Sit. Eat. Bill, please let go of your uncle, he can't eat breakfast with you latched onto him like that."  
  
"But momma!"  
  
"No buts from you either! See, Jack, you're teaching him bad habits by arguing with me."  
  
The pirate captain couldn't help but chuckle at this. "All right, lass, fine. If tha's 'ow ye want it."  
  
"Very much so."  
  
Jack took a seat next to Will after Bill was placed firmly in his own chair. "She's just like yer mother," the pirate muttered.  
  
"I know," Will answered with a grin. He opened his mouth to say something more when there was a loud knock at the door. "What on earth? How many visitors will we have this morning?" He stood and crossed to the door.  
  
A redcoat stood there. "I'm here to pick up Miss Ana Maria. She's to come with us."  
  
Ana looked at the man from her place at the table next to little Katherine. "What?"  
  
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but there's been a charge against you." The redcoat looked thoroughly uncomfortable. It could have been Jack's glare that made him so.  
  
"Wha' the 'ell do ye mean?" he growled.  
  
"I'm sorry, Captain Sparrow, but Mr. Douglass Pratt had claimed she's a runaway slave of his. I... I have to take her in, I'm sorry."  
  
"We 'ave guaranteed safe harbor here from Commodore Norrington," Jack protested.  
  
"You'll have to discuss it with him. Miss?"  
  
Jack stood, ready for a fight, but Ana place a hand on his own. "Please, Jack, didn't you say you didn't want trouble to follow you here? This is my trouble this time and I won't put Will and Elizabeth's family in danger because of this." She kissed him lightly on the lips as she moved her hand away, leaving a very shocked pirate captain to drop back into his seat. He watched her leave out the front door and had never felt more helpless in his life.  
  
-------------------  
  
A/N: Sorry for the delay everyone! I get onto this thing where I can really only write one fan story with any kind of length on it at one time. I think it's just a mental block thing, but oh well. I was working on my "Secret Window" fic which is now done so I believe I will return to this one before possibly trying my hand in a "Sleepy Hollow" fic I've got in mind. Yes, I've been going through Johnny Depp movies, if you see the trend forming. I really never meant to become a fan of his, but it's inescapable. My poor boyfriend is about to have a fit over it. Says he can't match up to him. I said, "He's twice my age and has a family, I'm not interested, no matter how pretty he is." So I think he doesn't hate him QUITE as much anymore. Lol  
  
JackFan2: Thanks! I'm glad it didn't suck! My writer's block has started to leave for a bit, I hope. Glad it didn't sow! :)  
  
LaVieSansAmour: Oh I've had kids tackle me to the couch and smother me with pillows.... They do everything to me b/c I'm too nice to get too mad at them. Oh well. Oh, I'm back on this story! ::waves:: I do have a possible idea for a oneshot on a new Secret Window fic. Hope you read it if I write it :)  
  
Queen-Misift-01: Yay! Exams are done! Funfun! I hope you did really well on them! I'm sure you did! I got my SAT and ACT scores back pretty recently and didn't do so hot ::pouts:: Not good enough for the college I want, so I'll be off to take them again next time. Lovely as that is. Oh well! Until then I can write!  
  
Kungfuchick: Yes! We shall all hate the Pratts! Bwahaha! I may make them more hateable than Richard Bruckworth, especially in this story. ::evil grin::  
  
TrappedandAnnoyed: Well here ya go! Here's the next chapter! I'll probably have the others out each day as I tend to do. I just had a bit of a delay on this one b/c of "Two Months Later" but ah well... I'm still writing, so oh well! ::grins::  
  
- 


	3. ch3

**Chapter Three: Do it by the book  
**  
A/N: Yay! I got a Loreena McKinnett CD!!! I'm so happy! Spent too much money on it, but oh well. If you haven't heard her, you should try to find her on launchcast.com. It's a yahoo radio station. That's where I found her. Beautiful music! Hehe... sorry... I'll write now.. :)  
  
---------------------  
  
"You can't go in there," Gillette said with his head held high. "He's quite busy, you know."  
  
Jack glared at the redcoat lieutenant as he brushed past him, not heeding a word he'd said. He slammed the door open into James Norrington's office. "You said we had safe harbor here," he growled, startling the commodore.  
  
"You do."  
  
"Then why did one of yer bloody redcoats come and take Ana Maria away this mornin'?" the pirate captain growled. His voice was low and he was resisting the urge to scream at the man before him. He assumed all that would do was bring people in to haul him away.  
  
Norrington sighed. He'd just laid eyes on the report of what had happened when Jack had flung open the door. "Apparently," he said as he examined the report, "Douglass Pratt has made an accusation against her."  
  
"Somethin' outside of Port Royal, in which case 'e 'as to wait until she LEAVES Port Royal to try to get 'er. Tha' was our agreement, Commodore. Will ye stick with it?"  
  
Norrington pinched the bridge of his nose, as if warding off an unwelcome headache. "Gillette?"  
  
"Sir?"  
  
"Will you please get me the details of the young lady's arrest. I want them here as soon as you might be able to get them."  
  
"Sir?"  
  
Norrington locked eyes with the young man and there were no more questions asked. He turned back to the angry pirate captain. "I'm sorry, Captain Sparrow," he said slowly. "I'll do what I might be able to."  
  
"So you'll get her out?"  
  
James Norrington stood slowly, moving to the window of his office. "It might not be that simple, Jack. You know I am bound by the law."  
  
"Hang the law," Jack growled. "Tha's Ana Maria they've taken."  
  
"I know your attachment to your first mate, Captain, but I am a man of the law." He stopped, gathering his thoughts and moving to close the door to his office. "Jack, I respect you, as much as I despise to admit that I hold any regards for a scallywag. I will do what I can, but Douglass Pratt is a citizen of the Crown. Ana Maria is not."  
  
"So they can just take her away an' tha's tha', eh?"  
  
"I never said it was right, Jack, I said it was the law. I've overstepped my boundaries too much for you as it is. I don't regret it, Captain. I meant to come after you that time because I am not a fan of the East India Company. Anderson was a criminal, but if he had not been you would have hung and died that day because I had no other reason to be able to come after you."  
  
"But we're in Port Royal!" Jack argued. "My crew and me 'ave done more for you than-"  
  
"That's very true, but the Crown won't see it that way."  
  
"Yer scared for yer job, s'tha' it?"  
  
"Captain...."  
  
Jack shook his head, too angry for words. Some part of his mind reminded him to burn no bridges here, not yet. Commodore James Norrington could still be of use to him, but there was something overriding his craftiness that he relied heavily on. "I 'eld more respect for ye than I should 'ave." Jack turned to the door, opening it. "If they leave with 'er, Commodore, then our deal's off, ye 'ear? I never claimed to be an honest man, but I keep a bargain. It'll be you tha' broke this alliance, not me."  
  
James Norrington watched the pirate captain leave with much regret. "I'm sorry," he whispered into the empty room. "There's just so very little I can do."  
  
----------------  
  
"Uncle Jack?"  
  
Jack opened one eye to see the toddler that was climbing up onto the bed he slept on when he and Ana Maria came to visit. It felt so vacant. "Hmm?"  
  
"Are you takin' a nap?"  
  
Jack started to sit up but decided against it as the lad climbed onto his stomach and sat there. "Are you tired?"  
  
"I am."  
  
"Did you yell at Uncle James?"  
  
"He's talkin' to Momma and Papa now."  
  
"Did yer Papa send ya in fer me?" the pirate asked as the boy on his stomach reached forward for a bead in his hair.  
  
The lad ran a small finger over the beads. "Yeah."  
  
Jack nodded slowly and sat up, picking the small Turner up as he did so and walked into the sitting room. "You've lost somethin'," he said as he entered the room and handed Bill to Will.  
  
The younger man took his son with a tight smile. "James has found something interesting, Jack. I thought maybe you'd like to hear."  
  
Jack met the commodore's eyes with distrust. Norrington sighed. "I understand where you're coming from, Captain. I doubt many people are far too trustworthy in your business, but I shall do my best to show you that these matters can be handled legally and still get what we want out of it." He handed Jack a sheet of paper in which the captain took. After giving him a moment to read it, James Norrington continued. "Apparently Miss Emily Pratt believes Ana Maria to be a run away slave of hers from fifteen years ago. She was allegedly sold to Miss Pratt by her mother and was in her custody for a year before she escaped, as taken back again, and then escaped once more with the help of a certain pirate captain." He eyed Jack carefully to see his reaction.  
  
Jack shrugged. "She was a young girl in Tortuga running away from somethin'. Tha's not irregular. I simply got mixed up in the 'ole affair an' she came out of the ship with me when I did."  
  
Norrington nodded slowly. "How old were the two of you?"  
  
"I was nineteen. Tha' would 'ave made 'er.... Seventeen. Why?"  
  
"One would think that she might have changed a bit in fifteen years," Norrington said slowly. "We might have a case there."  
  
"This is going to court?"  
  
"If I get my way," the commodore answered. "Governor Swann must say it needs to, and I believe he will." He glanced at Elizabeth. "His daughter does have quite a bit of influence on him."  
  
Elizabeth smiled sweetly. "But of course," she answered. "All little girls have their fathers wrapped around their small fingers from the moment their born." Katherine giggled in her arms and all eyes went from the baby girl to the grinning father sitting a couple feet away. Elizabeth's smile turned to a grin as well. "I'll see to it, James. And thank you for your work."  
  
Bill pulled on Jack's sleeve from his seat in his father's lap. Jack turned to the boy. "Are you still mad at Uncle James?"  
  
Jack's shoulders dropped and his friend laughed by his side. The pirate glared at Will and ruffled the young man's son's hair. "Don' worry about tha', lad. 'M jus' tryin' to get done wha' needs to get done."  
  
Bill nodded in all seriousness his little three-year-old face could muster.  
  
"Can I see 'er?" Jack directed the question at Norrington.  
  
The commodore smiled tightly. "That I can do for you, Captain."  
  
----------------------  
  
"I've heard you speak often of an 'opportune moment' to act on," Norrington said as they descended the stairs. "I do hope you shall keep that philosophy in mind for this time."  
  
Jack gave him a quick, tight smile that held no sincerity in it at all. "I tend to reserve the opportune moments to when it does not have to do with Ana Maria's life."  
  
"You love her."  
  
The pirate was slightly taken back by the forwardness in Norrington's voice. "Aye," he said at length.  
  
"You two should get married after this is all over."  
  
Jack had to chuckle. "Why do ye care, Norry?"  
  
Norrington shrugged, a very rare movement from him. "Just a suggestion, Captain. Nothing more."  
  
They made their way to the bottom of the stairs where Ana was being kept in a cell. She turned her eyes up at their entrance. "Jack!"  
  
"'allo, luv," he greeted as he knelt down next to the bars. "Miss me?"  
  
"Don't do anything stupid, you 'ear me, Jack Sparrow? These two are dangerous an' ye know it. Ye 'ave a scar to prove it." She reached forward through the bars to his left shoulder, fingertips brushing his the cloth of his jacket over the place where his scar still was from the dagger Emily Pratt had managed to get into him.  
  
"I leave stupid movements to Will, luv, ye know tha'. He's 'is father's son on tha'."  
  
"Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid," she told Norrington, who only nodded. "These two.."  
  
"Are no different than the others we've dealt with, luv. Don' worry so much. Wha's got ye in this mood, eh? Ye've never feared somethin' like this."  
  
She avoided his eyes and pulled her hand back before he could stop her. "Do me a favor?"  
  
"Tell me what it is first."  
  
She looked into his dark eyes pleadingly. "Take the _Pearl_ and get as far away from the Pratts as you can."  
  
------------------  
  
A/N: Hmm.... What are the Pratts up to that Ana knows but won't tell Jack? I wonder... ::grins:: Hope you wonder enough to keep reading! :)  
  
Kungfuchick: You missed me? Really? ::sniffs:: Wow! I feel loved now! I was still writing, just not this movie. Yes! I hate Emily Pratt too! She's an obnoxious brat! Since she popped into my head as a villain (it's partially JackFan2's fault b/c she said a female villain would be good) I've seen her as one of those little kids that throw a tantrum when they don't get even the smallest thing they want... but in a woman's body. She's beautiful, wealthy, and can wine her way into ANYTHING. ::shudders:: Poor Jack and Ana!  
  
LaVieSansAmour: I'm glad you hate my villains! That's what makes a good villain in my book: to be hateable by the reader. Don't worry, my friend, Emily Pratt will get what's coming to her in the end. ::evil grin:: Until then, poor Jack! He's not quite in a position that he's used to... He's held down by the law! But at least Norrington's helping, ne? I may write that SW fic today, but I'm not sure. I've got to babysit, but if not today, then probably tomorrow.  
  
JackFan2: I don't know if you read what I write to other reviewers, but I'm partially putting the blame of Emily Pratt on you b/c you told me that a female villain would make a good villain since the rest had been guys. :) That's actually a good thing though! I'm having a bit of fun with her character. Haha! Don' worry, Jack'll probably get hurt trying... It's me writing, after all. I'll tell Brad you said that about feeding the addiction, though he probably won't agree. ::grins:: Oh well, he finally admitted that he doesn't really HATE Johnny Depp the other day, so that's the first step, eh? And he even watched Sleepy Hollow and a bit of Secret Window with me too. : p 


	4. ch4

**Chapter Four: Beginnings of Trials and Arrival of old acquaintances**  
  
She looked into his dark eyes pleadingly. "Take the _Pearl_ and get as far away from the Pratts as you can."  
  
Jack stared at her for a moment. "No."  
  
"Jack, please!"  
  
"I don' know why ye've lost all yer faith in me ye keep claimin' t' 'ave, but I'll not be leavin' ye to these people."  
  
"She'll kill you," Ana said just above a whisper.  
  
Jack reached through and pulled her chin up so their eyes met again. "Luv, I'd die for you any day, and I'd die a happy man tha' way."  
  
She watched as he stood slowly from his place at the cell door and walk up the steps. She looked up at Norrington who shook his head slowly. "I'll do what I can for you, Miss," he said quietly.  
  
"That's all I might ask."  
  
-------------------------------  
  
It was the next day before word reached Captain Jack Sparrow's ears that a judge had been brought in by the Pratts for the so-called trial. He doubted seriously that it would be a fair trial at all, not with Douglass Pratt involved.  
  
"Judge Thatch is close by," Douglass Pratt explained. "He'll be here within the day now." He gave shot Governor Swann a dark look. "I'm sure he will be most disappointed that you and your commodore have been making deals with pirates, of all people, Governor."  
  
Governor Swann looked indignant for a moment. "How dare you? Commodore Norrington knows exactly what he is doing with the truces he makes. He does it for Port Royal's benefit!"  
  
"Mr. Pratt," Norrington said, finally raising his voice up a notch. "I would be much obliged if you would stay out of the political dealings of this colony. You are not a military man nor a political man, therefore have no right to say what you have. You are not even a citizen of this colony."  
  
"But I am a citizen of the Crown."  
  
"An' tha' makes all the difference," Jack said from off to the side. All eyes turned to the newcomer and he flashed them all a grin. "'allo, mates."  
  
Douglass Pratt made a face. "What is he doing here?"  
  
Jack shrugged. "I've got freedom to go most anywhere in Port Royal, mate. I've got a safe harbor here, something you 'ave paid no heed to, obviously."  
  
"Listen, you..."  
  
"Yer ship's 'ere," Jack said with a shrug. "Thought tha' might interest ye." The pirate captain watched as everyone scrambled toward the docks and he sauntered at a more leisurely pace after them.  
  
------------------  
  
Jack had expected a "higher class" to be stepping off of the fine ship, but certainly not Richard Bruckworth. The pirate made a face as his stepfather stepped off of the boat.  
  
"Jack?" Richard asked with a cocked eyebrow. "I should have known you'd be involved in all of this."  
  
"I tend to be involved in most everythin' tha's got trouble in it, eh?" the younger man mumbled. "An' yer on their jury, hmm?"  
  
"Marie and I were with Judge Thatch when he was called here. I haven't heard much of what's going on...."  
  
Jack held his head high. "They've taken Ana Maria, claimin' some nonsense."  
  
"Nonsense?" Douglass Pratt growled. "That's foolishness, pirate. We own her. She was given to us years ago before YOU stole her."  
  
"Ye can't steal a person," Jack growled. "She's a livin', breathin' human being. Ye can't OWN a person, Pratt. Ye better learn tha' quick enough."  
  
"And a pirate is trying to tell me right from wrong and what I can and can't do, hmm?"  
  
"I seem to see it clearer than you do."  
  
Pratt glared indignantly at Jack, then turned back to Richard. "Can you believe this? This pirate here thinks he's higher up than a law abiding gentleman."  
  
"Law abiding gentleman tha' thinks 'e can sell a lady like she was a ship ain't no gentleman, mate."  
  
Richard placed a hand on Pratt's shoulder before he lost his temper. "I'll meet you in the courthouse later and we shall decide all of this. Until then I should get my wife settled."  
  
Jack watched as Douglass Pratt walked away, joined soon by his younger sister. "'e doesn't know tha' ye married me mum, does 'e?"  
  
"Not a clue in the world and it should stay that way if I am to be of any use to you on this trial."  
  
Jack stared at his stepfather in disbelief. "Yer 'elping us?"  
  
Richard squared his shoulders. "Perhaps. Marie has taken a liking to that girl of yours. I won't see her upset."  
  
"Jack!" Marie's voice reached the two men's ears. "Now what is this about Ana Maria? We'll do anything we can, wont' we, Richard?"  
  
"I was just saying as much."  
  
Jack shifted, not sure quite what to make of Richard's behavior. "Thanks very much, then."  
  
Marie allowed a sly smile to cross her pretty lips. "Let's hurry along to the Turners' house and hatch a plan up right quick, shall we?"  
  
-------------------  
  
A/N: Ugh... I really didn't expect to finish this today, and if it sucks it's b/c I was writing with a head ache. Those little voices that have been whispering up until now have gotten louder. The scary thing is that my boyfriend has been calling around to a local nut house to see if they sold strait jackets in my size..... Is that strange or is it just me? Maybe I really AM crazy.... ::goes off to discuss the matter with voices::  
  
Jackfan2: To be overly honest (which I have a really bad habit of doing) I'm not sure why Norrington said that. Things tend to pop in my mind and I write them. I never really claim credit for any good writing I do, b/c I say that the characters wrote it themselves if it's any good. Lol. So hopefully Norrington knows what he's talking about or maybe he was just rambling... I'll have something for it to tie into later, but for now I couldn't find anything on English law of that time. Oh well.... Oh, that Jack gets hurt chappy'll be coming up shortly, b/c I'm getting antsy to write it. My boyfriend thinks I'm crazy for enjoying hurting characters.... Maybe that's the reason for the strait jacket (see above note) :)  
  
Kungfuchick: isn't Bill adorable? This is what happens when I babysit enough in the summer. I get a good feel for what kids like him would be like. He's all the little ones I adore mixed together in one. ::grins:: ::huggles Bill and takes him home:: 


	5. ch5

**Chapter Five: Trials of all kinds**  
  
"Father's pulled as many strings as he is legally able to pull," Elizabeth said as she set a tea tray down on the table before Richard and Marie.  
  
Marie took it with a smile on her face. "And we certainly can ask no more, I'm sure."  
  
"This will certainly be difficult," Richard said as he took a sip from the tea cup. "Ana Maria is not a citizen of England, and therefore will be looked down upon."  
  
"But the truce tha' I signed with Norrington 'as to count for somethin'," Jack pointed out.  
  
"While it was quiet and only pertaining to Port Royal, that truce caused Commodore Norrington no trouble, but if it gets back to England that he is making deals with pirates...."  
  
"What if we were to break her out of jail?" Will asked as he came to stand next to Jack. "James could have his men leave their post for something or the other..."  
  
"It would be best if we could do this legally," Norrington said from the doorway. "Excuse my intrusion, everyone, but the trial is to begin shortly." He turned a careful eye on the pirate captain. "I'd suggest you get the _Black Pearl_ ready to sail, Captain. If they win on Ana Maria's trial, I have a strong feeling they might come after you next."  
  
"I won't leave 'er to these people."  
  
"And you won't break her out of the jail either, because that goes against our agreement."  
  
"If ye want to take that rout, Commodore, ye've already broken the agreement."  
  
"Please stop the bickering!" Marie said as she stood. "Let us go to the court house and see what it is we might do."  
  
------------------  
  
Over the next few days Jack stopped off to let Mr. Gibbs know what was happening that day, and tell him that if he should hear rumors of any sort of trouble, he was to sail to Tortuga. He and Ana could catch up later if need be. Gibbs had grudgingly agreed as his captain had started off towards the courthouse.  
  
"I'm afraid you can't enter."  
  
If he had not been annoyed at that moment – Norrington had been with him the day before and he'd gotten in, but when he was alone the redcoats would never let him in - Jack might have chuckled at Mullroy who stood next to his ever present partner-in-comedy Murtogg. The pirate had seen them over the last few years since the incident in which he met all of his good friends at Port Royal, and they had never ceased to entertain him as he sent their minds spinning trying to figure out one thing and then another. He pictured them sometimes as a dog chasing its tail and never figuring out why he couldn't catch it. Well, maybe they were a little brighter, but he could only give them so much credit.  
  
"C'mon, lads," Jack answered with a forced grin to ease tension. "I've got to go in there to make sure they give me first mate a proper trial."  
  
"You're not goin' anywhere, Mr. Sparrow."  
  
"Captain, and yes I am."  
  
"I'm afraid your not," a new voice said from behind. Everyone turned eyes on Emily Pratt who stood with her fan gently swaying back and forth, banishing the heat. "I've got a proposition for you, Captain Sparrow."  
  
"An' wha' would tha' be, missy?"  
  
"Walk with me for a moment, won't you? I've got quite an idea."  
  
Jack frowned slightly, running over the possibilities in his mind. He wasn't getting by the two goofballs at that particular moment, so he decided to follow the obnoxious brat before him. "Wha' can I do for ye, missy, besides the overwhelming desire I've got to put ye out of the rest of our misery?"  
  
Emily smiled up at Jack, acting as if she had heard nothing. "An exchange, Captain. You for her."  
  
The pirate captain looked at her intently. "I don't trust ye, lass, for more than obvious reasons."  
  
She pouted. "I would much rather have you, Jack," she purred as she advanced toward him, running a thin finger along his jaw line. "I followed you here, you know? I've known she was a part of your crew since she joined. I've followed your movements since you left me that day. Don't think that I haven't, Jack Sparrow. I wanted my stories, you see. I had to have them."  
  
"An' if ye take Ana or me then you'll 'ave no stories at all, Miss Pratt."  
  
She gave the captain an evil little smile. "I'll make sure I have my stories. I do like the ones where you are injured in them, Jack. Is that horrible?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Emily pouted again, but the pout faded as two men came up behind Jack and grabbed him by his arms. He thrashed around, hollering as best he could until they gagged him. "Sorry, Jack," she whispered in his ear. "I want you more than she does. That I can guarantee. I'm willing to do so much. Think about it, she wasn't willing to fight to be with you, even if you were willing to fight for her." She turned her eyes back to the men. "Take him away, I'll be along shortly after Douglass is out of the trial for the day."  
  
"Aye, miss."  
  
"Have fun, boys."  
  
---------------------  
  
"Richard!"  
  
Richard Bruckworth looked back to see Douglass walking towards him. "Yes? I'm in a bit of a hurry, Douglass."  
  
"I know you are, ol' friend, but I need a moment of your time more than that scallywag stepson of yours does." Douglass grinned as Richard paled noticeably. "Really, Richard, did you think I didn't know? Emily follows the pirate's stories well enough to write a novel on him. Someone has to listen to her, even if not entirely." He slung an arm around the blue-eyed man's shoulder.  
  
"What do you want, Douglass?" Richard asked finally.  
  
"I want you off the jury. I didn't want to make a scene up until now. Apparently you haven't had the best relationship with the lad during his life, eh? I expected that to shine through in the way you conducted yourself in there."  
  
"I have no leanings either way, Douglass."  
  
"You say that to my face, but what do you say to the Turners' faces, I wonder. Or to Governor Swann or Commodore Norrington? It makes me wonder what great things your stepson has done to gain such respect – even though he **_is_** a pirate – from the good people of Port Royal. I will not be out done. I'll see him in chains or dead while we have Ana Maria back in our grasp."  
  
Richard shrugged the other man's arm off his shoulders. "I agree with Jack Sparrow on very few things, Douglass, but one of those very few things is how people are people and are not to be owned."  
  
"Really?" Douglass asked, a sly grin spreading across his face. "Did you think that when you abused him as a child?"  
  
Richard felt his face heat up with rage. "You have no idea what you're talking about, Douglass Pratt," he growled.  
  
"Douglass!!!" The two men turned to see Emily running to them. "I've got him, Brother!" she said sweetly.  
  
"Who?" Richard demanded.  
  
"None of your concern," Douglass answered as he turned on his heal to follow his sister. "Good day, Mr. Bruckworth."  
  
--------------------------  
  
Jack came too very slowly and realized at length that he was propped up against a wall in the room they'd taken him to. It hurt to move. It hurt to breathe. He shook his head slowly. What was he thinking, it hurt if he breathed or if he didn't. A small groan escaped his lips.  
  
"Hello, Sparrow," Douglass Pratt's voice entered his ears.  
  
The pirate captain looked slowly up at the man towering over him, his dark brown eyes focusing even slower. When he said nothing in reply he received a sharp blow to the side of his face, which sent his jerking to the opposite side.  
  
"Don't just sit there," Douglass laughed. "Say something! I thought Jack Sparrow of the Black Pearl always had a witty comeback, eh? Guess not now." He grabbed Jack by the chin, forcing him to look up. "You know, I've got quite a bit on you. I've nearly got your girl – I will after I tell the judge about Richard being your stepfather – and I've got you here. Your boat will leave when she hears that both of you are lost and you'll be left with nothing."  
  
Jack glared up at the man above him, but said nothing.  
  
"What did I say?" Douglass growled. "Don't just sit there! Say something!" His fist connected hard with Jack's ribcage and the pirate's dark eyes widened in pain and a small sound of pain escaped his lips. His captor laughed.  
  
Jack looked up at him with a small, tight grin on his face. "Ye wan' me to say somethin', eh?" Douglass nodded. "Go to 'ell," the pirate growled as he jerked forward against the chains that held him back. "You an' tha' poor excuse for a sister ye've got! Both of ye deserve it."  
  
Douglass stood and slammed his fist against Jack's jaw once more before turning and leaving, Emily following quickly behind. Jack was left in silence, his own breathing the only sound. His eyes turned upward when he realized that his breathing wasn't the only sound after all. "Richard..."  
  
-------------------------  
  
(a/n: just a note here, this is a change in perspective, so I'm jumping back just a couple minutes. Just to let ye know so ye don' get confused :) )  
  
Richard watched as Douglass Pratt's fist met the pirate's already battered ribcage. The Englishman shuddered. He'd done a lot to the boy over the years, he was man enough to admit that now that he looked back on it. He wasn't sorry for many of those things, because he felt as if Jack had deserved them, but no one deserved this. Marie had taught him that.  
  
_Too bad Marie didn't teach you that before you helped steel her happiness_, his conscious whispered to him.  
  
The voice was right. Richard knew how much Jack Sparrow looked like his long dead father, but never more than right now how Jonathan Sparrow had looked the day he died.  
  
_Richard held a piece of cloth over his nose as he descended the rock stairs. It was rank down there. He realized in horror why when he saw the first prisoner in the first cell. He hurried the guard along and they finally found the former pirate captain Jonathan Sparrow. The man was sitting with his back to the wall, hat pulled over his eyes, and apparently asleep.  
  
"Excuse me for a moment," Richard said as he hinted to the guard to leave. He rattled the bars a bit. "Sparrow?"  
  
Jonathan Sparrow reached one hand up to his hat carefully and pulled it away. The bandana that he wore often was no longer present on his head, but Richard was sure that he'd seen Marie's lad wearing it when they stepped off the boat from the Caribbean. He saw the pirate's brand that the bandana had hid.  
  
"So yer the reason 'm 'ere, eh?" Jonathan's raspy voice drifted into the gentleman's ears.  
  
Richard scrunched his nose up in disgust. The younger man was beaten and bloodied, he realized now. Two black eyes, obvious damage done to what had once been quite a handsome face. The former pirate captain stood slowly, unsteadily, and Richard noticed more damage had been done than just the younger man's face. He would die within the week or less from his injuries if not for the hanging that was set for later that morning. "Partially," he answered truthfully.  
  
"Ah," Jonathan said slowly as he limped his way to the bars and leaned heavily against them. "You'll marry Marie then, eh? All legal and such."  
  
"Indeed it will be. And it will be how it should have been before you fell into the picture."  
  
Jonathan turned his two dark orbs to his wife's former betrothed. "'ere's more in the picture now, Richard," he said slowly. "'ere's a boy now."  
  
"You mean your brat?"  
  
"Marie an' I love 'im more 'n anythin', Richard. Ye can't do nothin' to 'im. If nothin' else, ye owe me tha' with all ye've done to me."  
  
"I owe you nothing!" Richard hissed as he reached through the bars and took hold of a handful of Jonathan's thick black hair. "You're not able to tell me anything of what I have to do, pirate. You deserve everything you've taken and more than that."  
  
"If I rot in hell, all the more will you."  
  
Richard, in his fury, shoved the pirate back where he fell. "Your brat will be here, you know? He'll watch you hang. Marie's father will make sure of that."  
  
Jonathan hadn't heard him. He lay on the floor of the cell, blood leaking from the gash on his head. Richard shook his head in disgust as he left to jail area and went up to the top.  
_  
Richard came back to the present as he ducked deeper into his hiding spot and Douglass Pratt and the others left. He stood slowly and Jack's eyes caught his. "Richard," was all the pirate captain said.  
  
"You look horrible," Richard responded as he moved closer. Jack flinched away involuntarily. "I'm trying to help you, you daft fool."  
  
"Why?"  
  
_Because you look like the ghost of my past back to haunt me._ "Because you're Marie's son. It would make her cry to see you like this."  
  
Jack shifted his position, trying to make it easier for Richard to get to the ropes. "You might get yerself 'anged for this."  
  
"Not with the governor on my side."  
  
"But 'e's on my side too an' tha's not 'elped one bloody thing, now 'as it?"  
  
"Just shut your mouth before they hear you," Richard growled as he finished untying the rope.  
  
"The window there," Jack mumbled, nodding his head upward towards a window just big enough for each of them to pass through separately. "'ey'll 'ave guards at the door."  
  
The pirate's stepfather nodded as he looked upward toward it. "Can you make it that far?"  
  
"I can make it," Jack managed, gritting his teeth as he stumbled towards the boxes that were lined under the window. He climbed and looked outside. "Clear."  
  
---------------------  
  
Richard looked back once more as the rounded the corner. He was sure he'd see Douglass coming after them, pistol in hand to shoot them, but he did not. He had Jack's arm around his shoulders – much to the pirate's protest, but he could do little about it – and they were making their way down the alley as best they could. The elder man shifted his grip around his stepson's waist to get a better hold on him and he felt Jack tense. "What?"  
  
Jack didn't respond as Richard set him down carefully, examining what appeared to be a knife wound in his side, gashed along his ribs. "Your mother always handled blood better than I did," he mumbled.  
  
"You caused enough to be able to 'andle it," Jack mumbled, only half coherent.  
  
Richard glared. "I'm helping you escape, what more do you want? I can't change the past."  
  
"But would you if ye could?" Jack questioned, eyes meeting Richard's with a strange intensity.  
  
"I don't know," the other answered as he reached his hands back to untie the pirate's bandana. Jack pulled away suddenly. "Stop that. It's not going to hurt you to take it off and it might help stop the bleeding." When the pirate had stilled he finally worked the bandana off. He tensed when he saw the edge of a scar peeking out from the black hair that fell in his face. He started to brush the younger man's hair aside when Jack's hand grasped his wrist.  
  
"Leave it. You put it there, you should 'ave known," the pirate rasped. "Let's jus' get back to Will's place."  
  
Richard nodded slowly as he handed Jack the bandana to press against the nasty looking wound and pulled him back up again, starting the slow trip to the Turners' home.  
  
---------------------  
  
A/N: I probably won't be writing tomorrow. I've got a funeral to go to. The only other painter in my family besides me has recently passed away. Really sad. Well, he's in a better place, so I guess that's some help, hmm? Anyway, hope you enjoyed! :)  
  
Kungfuchick: He also wants to get a bunch of friends together to come to my door in white coats and haul me away. We have an interesting relationship. I'm glad you like my villains! That makes me happy! I've never fancied myself a very good villain creator. That's always been Anna Maxwell's job, but since we kinda split ways a while back, I'm all on me onsies for it. So I'm glad you approve!  
  
JackFan2: See, it's weird for me to get headaches. I never get the. Must mean I'm having a really bad allergy attack. It hasn't been bothering me quite as bad as my jaw though, b/c it's been locking up and hurting since I fell on an ice rink a while back. Oh well, at least it wasn't my head I bashed in ::grins:: I did that to my friend Anna Maxwell once. We went ice skating and I fell, smacking my head (she said it literally echoed through the rink) and got up laughing. She thought I'd knocked something loose. It was great. Ah yes, Richard as a good guy. I'm trying to redeem him just a tiny bit. Not much, but just a little. It'll make for an interesting twist in his and Jack's relationship. ::dies laughing:: You named them! That's great! I guess I kinda named one of mine. I've got a long running joke that there's a girl in my head named Hikari and she has pink hair. She's my reason for loving all things Japanese. ::grins:: Maybe I should get more in touch with the other voices and see if they have names as well. I've actually painted a portrait of Hikari, though. She's my favorite voice :) I did your Jack-torture chappy! Hope you liked it!!  
  
LaVieSansAmour: I think it was FF.net that was down. I had to wait until this morning to post that last chapter. It's just being its normal, cranky self. Better not say that too loud or it'll never work for me, eh? :) Don't worry, Ana doesn't strike me as a nervous breakdown type of person. I save that for my Secret Window fics ::grins:: speaking of which, we're back to that precognitive tendencies again with that fic, eh? Thinking it before reading it. ::giggles:: Ah, glad you liked that one! Only thing about oneshots that I hate is that I can't really respond to people as well...  
  
::looks back:: tha's a long chappy...... 


	6. ch6

**Chapter Six: To few good men left**  
  
A/N: soooo tired... so why am I compelled to write....?  
  
-----------------------  
  
Jack vaguely remembered stumbling along and into the Turners' house. He heard Will's panicked voice and Marie's startled outcry as Richard all but dragged him into the house. He mustered enough strength to look up and catch Will's eyes as he approached the injured captain. He pulled away from Richard, and promptly pitched forward.  
  
Will caught his elder friend and eased him over to the couch. Jack groaned as he lay there, hand pressed firmly against his blood soaked bandana. "Pratt's gonna use Richard's place on the jury against us," he managed between grimaces.  
  
"Shh... that doesn't matter right now," Will soothed. "Jack, you've got to tell me what all hurts so I can help."  
  
Jack shook his head. "No. We've gotta get Ana out now. When 'e finds me gone...."  
  
"Jack, he can't do anything to her yet."  
  
"An' 'e wasn't 'spose to do anythin' to me either, lad, but 'e did. We 'ave to get 'er out now."  
  
Jack struggled to sit up, but Will pushed him back down as gently as he could. "Marie, get me a clean cloth and water, would you?" he asked. "Richard, would you tell Elizabeth to keep the kids in their room?" He turned back to the struggling pirate. "Jack, lie still. You'll do Ana Maria no good if you're dead."  
  
"Ye sound jus' like yer ol' man, ye know tha'?" Jack mumbled with a smile. "'m sorry 'e died the way 'e did. Sorry 'e died at all."  
  
"Jack..." Will begged, voice pained with emotion. "Just rest, Jack, please?"  
  
The two men jumped slightly as a wail came from the other room. Bill flew past Richard who was trying to chase him down and Elizabeth who had Katherine in her arms. The lad came to the room and strait to the couch. "Uncle Jack?" he asked, tugging very gently on the pirate's tattered shirt. "You okay, Uncle Jack?"  
  
Jack turned two pain-filled eyes towards the boy. "'m fine, lad," he managed.  
  
"Mr. Bruckworth said you're sick," the boy argued, scrunching his small nose up and pointing one small finger back to the injured man's stepfather. "He said Momma should keep us in our room, but I got scared. You won't die, huh, Uncle Jack?"  
  
The boy's words all meshed together in Jack's mind as he struggled to figure out how he was supposed to respond. "I'll be fine, lad," he mumbled. "Won't die on ye, I guarantee tha'."  
  
"Promise?" the boy asked.  
  
Jack chuckled. "Guarantee means promise, lad."  
  
Bill nodded and gave his "uncle" a hug. Jack reached an unsteady arm around the boy and then ruffled his hair. "Go on back to yer mum," he said quietly. "She needs 'elp with yer li'll sister."  
  
"Aye aye, Cap'n!" Bill answered with an clumsy salute as he ran back to his mother.  
  
Will looked down on his friend as he took a towel offered from Marie. "Jack, I'm going to fetch the doctor."  
  
"No," the pirate said quickly, struggling once again to sit up. "Then 'e'll know where to look for me an' you'll be puttin' yer family in danger, Will."  
  
"He'll not know," Will said firmly. "You sleep and let me take care of it. Trust me, Jack, we're safe here."  
  
Jack thought vaguely that he'd heard those words before, and those were his last thoughts before falling into oblivion.  
  
"He'll look through the records at the doctors'," Richard said.  
  
Will shook his head. "He won't have to. Everyone in Port Royal knows Jack is a welcomed friend at this house. He'll come, but we'll be ready for him."  
  
--------------------  
  
The doctor stepped out of the room that they had moved Jack into and closed the door softly behind him. Dr. Charles Edman sighed and leaned against the wall. "He is the worst patient I've ever-"  
  
"Tell us something we don't know," Will grumbled. "Will he be all right?"  
  
The doctor nodded. "Yes, but with rest. You must tell him that he can't run off to go after that girl right now."  
  
"Does everyone know about Ana Maria?" Will mumbled under his breath.  
  
"I checked on her yesterday. I told your pirate friend that she is in good health and that Commodore Norrington is keeping her in top condition there. That settled him down for a while."  
  
Will nodded. "Thank you."  
  
Dr. Edman raised a white eyebrow. "Good luck to you, Will Turner. You're going to need it with him."  
  
----------------------  
  
_ "I 'eard you an' me mum arguing," Jack said as he leaned against the door.  
  
Richard spun on his heals, his vivid blue eyes locking on Jack's dark ones. "Young men shouldn't eavesdrop."  
  
"I wasn't. Anyone in the 'ouse could 'ear the two of ye. Wha' did ye 'ave to do with me father's death, Richard?"  
  
The elder man glared. "That's non of your concern."  
  
"I think it's every bit of my concern."  
  
Richard backhanded the young teen hard across the face. "Get out."  
  
"Tell me!"  
  
The second strike sent him to tumbling to the ground and Richard turned and left him alone in the large room.  
_  
"Jack?"  
  
Jack's eyes flew open and he found himself staring at Will Turner. "'allo," he managed.  
  
"How are you feeling?"  
  
"Terrible." He looked behind him to see Richard lingering there, as if he weren't sure if he should find somewhere else – anywhere else – to be. Jack struggled to sit up a bit. "Let me talk with Richard a moment, eh?"  
  
Will looked at him funny before nodding.  
  
Richard inched closer to the bedside as the young blacksmith left the room. He eyed Jack carefully and watched the pirate captain sink back against the pillows again. "I asked you somethin' once," he said slowly. "An' I dunno if ye remember."  
  
"Ask it again and we shall see."  
  
Jack opened his eyes slowly and stared strait at his stepfather. "What part did ye play in me father's death?"  
  
Richard stared at him a moment before sighing, sitting himself down on the edge of the younger man's bed. "I was engaged to Marie since we were children. She was supposed to be over in the Caribbean for a couple to three years then she had planned to return to England where we would be married. She never planned on meeting Jonathan Sparrow, and when she did things went awry." He stopped a moment, gathering his thoughts. "Marie's father – Matthew Eddington – sent me a letter that explained that Marie had been raped by a pirate and forced to marry him, and at that time she was bringing him back to England. I was to alert the local authorities and have him hung." Richard looked at the younger man who was still watching him intently. "I received a letter from Marie the following day, though I believe it was only by coincidence and she had no idea what her father and I were plotting to do, saying that she had fallen in love and that she was sorry and so on and so on. I had quite a role in your father's death, Jack. I cared very little about good men and the such when I was younger."  
  
"And now?"  
  
"There are too few to kill off so quickly."  
  
Jack nodded. "Then yer gonna 'elp me."  
  
-------------------------------------  
  
A/N: Got in from the funeral and decided to write. I slept WAAAAY too much in the car. I'll be twitchy all night now. Lol. Oh well, I'll go watch Sleepy Hollow or Pirates of the Caribbean or some really good movie like that.  
  
Kungfuchick: Hey, we're authors, we should all be hauled off and locked away for life, but hey, that's the fun of it. Hopefully they'll pay us money someday to write down our insanity for a living. ::grins:: Yeah, Richard's having a bit of a tough time trying to figure out HOW to be a good guy. I'm trying to redeem him just a little  
  
LaVieSansAmour: Ah! Don't yell at me! ::hides:: oh... you're not going to yell anymore b/c I got him out? ::comes out sheepishly:: okay then. Anyway, yes, the Pratts are messing everything up! I don't like them. And the scar that Jack hides under his bandana is explained in my story "My Father's Son" chapter 5. That might have been in that time that you were gone, b/c I think I came out with that story pretty fast. Hmm... ::goes back to check::  
  
JackFan2: Nah... You don't need a shrink. I've been the same way for as long as I can remember. Hehe... Murtogg and Mullroy... Those two needed to get together with Pintel and Reghetti! ::grins:: All of 'em were funny! I'm glad you liked the flashback, I've been coming up with a bit more details about how it all happened in my mind. You see, I have a habit of creating my own little world for each story line I write. My Gundam Wing fics are probably one of the best examples of that. But I have to have every minor detail strait in my head or it'll drive me up the wall.... Don't ask, I'm strange. A friend of mine and I have been working on a fic for over three years, its over 400 pages long, and I went back probably a year ago (it was probably only 300 pages then) and reread everything and charted out what happened on what days in the fic so that we wouldn't say it was the wrong day. I'm really picky about that kind of stuff. ::looks back:: I'm not quite sure how I got onto that little ramble.... Shows you how coherent I am, right? lol! Oh, one last thing. Did you ever read that chapter I sent you over email?  
  
Thanks very much for reading, everyone! I don't know if I'll be able to post tomorrow b/c I'm goin' to me cousin's graduation thing. Wish me luck. :( 


	7. ch7

**Chapter Seven: Sail Away**  
  
"You're planning something."  
  
Jack Sparrow opened one eye slowly and looked at the Commodore standing over him. "I 'aven't left this room," he answered truthfully.  
  
"Perhaps, but you're still planning something."  
  
Jack shrugged as he pulled himself up. "Ye 'ave no proof of anythin', Commodore. An' 'm startin' to wonder who's side yer on."  
  
"Yours, Captain, and that is the only reason I'm telling you what I am about to tell you. The Judge believes you should keep the _Black Pearl_ in the dock now. You do realize that if Miss Ana Maria disappears and the _Pearl_ leaves shortly after, they will follow you."  
  
"The _Pearl_ won't move from 'er spot, then," Jack said as he eyed the commodore. "Savvy?"  
  
Norrington sighed. "Then what are you planning, Jack?"  
  
"Nothing tha' ye need to know, Norrington. You'll know it when it happens."  
  
------------------------  
  
She was gone. Douglass Pratt was about to have a mild heart attack. "That bloody pirate bastard of yours stole her from us!" he growled to his younger sister.  
  
"She couldn't have gotten far," Emily answered him. "The guards were only out a small time."  
  
"He shouldn't have been able to take her," Douglass mumbled. "Not in the condition he was in. The Bruckworths and the Turners are helping him, somehow. I have a strong feeling it was that Will Turner that took her."  
  
"Then go to their house to search for her."  
  
"It's not that simple, Emily," her brother seethed. "Will Turner is not only a citizen of the crown – unlike that bloody pirate of yours – but also married to the governor's daughter. As much as I loath that worthless man, he has the power to persuade the judge one way or another if he gets angry enough."  
  
"We'll watch the _Black Pearl_ then. She'll be what they escape on."  
  
Douglass was still fuming. "Stay put, Emily. I'll be back shortly."  
  
"Don't kill him, Brother!"  
  
------------------  
  
"Ana, we need to get you out of here now," Will said in a low voice as they ran through the back alleys of Port Royal. Their escape had been fairly easy and he was sure he had Commodore James Norrington to thank for that. He helped when he could.  
  
"I will not leave without Jack," she said firmly.  
  
"He can't go anywhere," Will answered as they ducked into the alley behind his own home and into the cellar. "He's hurt."  
  
Ana Maria turned two dark eyes on the blacksmith. "How badly?"  
  
"Bad enough to keep him in bed a while." Will pushed a door open that led to the main house. He always knew that that would come in handy. "We have come up with a plan," he said proudly.  
  
"And tha' would be wha'?"  
  
"You, Will, Elizabeth, the children, and Marie will take the Turners' small boat over to a safe harbor that Marie knows of."  
  
Ana turned to see Richard standing in the room with them. "And you will stay here with Jack?"  
  
"Yes, and we'll follow you in his _Pearl_ once all of the loose ends are tied up here."  
  
"You expect me to leave you with Jack?" Ana Maria growled. "You're mad."  
  
"It's the only chance we have," Richard said calmly. "We're passing it off as Marie not being able to handle the pressure here, so Will's taking her away for a bit. He would need to take Elizabeth with him in order to help him with the ship – though I really don't know how she might help – and the children because no one but Jack and I will be left here."  
  
"Elizabeth's gotten quite good at sailing," Ana mused quietly. "Where will we go?"  
  
"Neither Jack or I will know," Richard explained slowly. "That way, if worst comes to worst, we wont' be able to give up the location, even if they try to make us."  
  
"Mr. Gibbs is also accompanying us," Will piped up. "On Jack's orders."  
  
Ana nodded slowly. "Can I see him?"  
  
---------------------  
  
Jack was sleeping when she entered. He looked pale to her, lying against the white sheets with his hair unbraided and eyes clean of kohl. She walked as quietly as she could over and sat on the edge of the bed. His eyes opened slowly and a grin spread across his face. "'allo, luv," he greeted quietly. "Ready to go?"  
  
"I don't really have much of a choice," she responded. "Are you okay, Jack?"  
  
"Huh? Ah, yeah, luv, 'm fine. 'ey're jus' bein' them by keepin' me in bed, ye know 'ow everyone in this 'ouse is. Me mum is still convinced 'm in need of constant care."  
  
Ana felt tears spring to her eyes, a rarity for her, as she smoothed back the captain's dark hair. "Jack... Will I see you again?"  
  
Jack chuckled as he grasped her hand. "'course, luv. Why'd ye ever question tha'?"  
  
"Because I know what they're capable of, if this judge is on their side."  
  
"But they'll not be killin' Captain Jack Sparrow, I can assure ye." He pulled her close and kissed her lips. "An' 'ey won't lay another finger on ye as long as 'm alive."  
  
She nodded as she lay against him, embracing him. He winced a bit under her grasp. "Look wha' 'appens when we're apart a few days, Ana Maria, we get clingy."  
  
She laughed and popped him lightly on the cheek, though certainly not hard enough to hurt. "I'll see you in a few days when this blows over."  
  
"Aye," Jack answered as he pulled her down and kissed her again. "I love ye, Ana."  
  
Will appeared at the door. "Ana? We need to get moving now."  
  
She turned to the young blacksmith and then back to her captain, kissing him lightly. "I love you too, Jack."  
  
--------------------  
  
There was a loud pounding at the door some time later. Richard looked over his book, remembering that no servants resided in the Turners' home, and stood slowly to open it. "'ello, Douglass."  
  
"Where is she, Richard?"  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Ana Maria."  
  
Richard looked at him in a tired kind of surprise. "I really don't know, Douglass, have you tried looking in the cell you last put her in?"  
  
"You've been picking up on your stepson's obnoxious wit," Douglass growled. "Where is she? She and that bloody pirate you're protecting for heaven knows why!"  
  
"Jack is resting after what you did to him," Richard said stiffly. "Don't think that I haven't taken that to the governor."  
  
"And he cared little, I can assure you. We'll win this trial now, especially since I've let the judge know of your relations."  
  
"And why would I help my stepson?" Richard asked as he stared Douglass strait in the eye. "I hate him, remember? I killed his father, remember? Yes, I know rumors spread through society what Marie's father and I did to Jonathan Sparrow, and I'm sure most of them are true, to some extent. Why would I care what happens to Jack Sparrow's little strumpet?"  
  
"Then why are you protecting him?"  
  
"I've done nothing of the sort. Will Turner took him in his own care." Richard told himself silently that one white lie was nothing compared to what could happen if he did not tell it. Why start having a conscious now?  
  
"And where is Will Turner now?"  
  
"He took Marie off for a small break from all of this. As much as I hate Jack Sparrow, he is Marie's son and she does hold some affection for him. She had just about made herself sick over all of this. Will took her off somewhere or another."  
  
"I'll see you hanged for this, Richard," Douglass growled after a few moments of silence and finding nothing better to fill it with. That said, he turned on his heel and stormed off in the direction of the courthouse.  
  
"So?"  
  
Richard turned to see Jack leaning heavily on the wall to keep himself upright. "We'll be called to the court house soon, but I've made some arrangements." He reached out a hand to steady the younger man. "I've got high connections."  
  
"Good. We're gonna need 'em."  
  
--------------------------------------  
  
It was a good three hours later when a redcoat came to the door and escorted Richard and Jack to the courthouse. The pirate captain was leaning heavily on his stepfather – much to his annoyance – when they entered.  
  
Judge Thatch looked at them and eyed Jack warily. "She's your problem now, gentlemen," he said simply as he stood from his place. "Richard, you've had quite a handful of things as of late."  
  
"I have indeed."  
  
"Give your best regards to your wife. Good day."  
Douglass Pratt stood in his place with his eyes wide. "No..."  
  
"Not wha' ye expected, Pratt?" Jack asked with a grin.  
  
"No! He's done something! This has to be illegal!"  
  
Jack chuckled at this. "Pratt, yer jus' a sour looser, eh?"  
  
Douglass Pratt continued fuming as he pulled a pistol from his jacket pocket. "You don't deserve to live, pirate."  
  
"Douglass!" Emily squealed.  
  
Jack turned to see the man's weapon aimed and reached for his own pistol, remembering too late that he'd left it at the Turners' house. Everyone in the room froze as the gunshot went off.  
  
---------------------  
  
LaVieSansAmour: I've always typed pretty fast, it's just that I have all these ideas trying to get out of my head (I'll blame them for my headaches the past week...) and they just pour out through my fingers. Ah! You're computer's mad? Kungfuchick's computer got mad at her a while back and wouldn't talk to her.... My laptop got mad last year and keeled over on me. Hopefully yours doesn't hold quite so much of a grudge. ::grins:: anyway, off I go to wander around my house dazed until it gets late enough I can sleep.... I'm sooooo tired..... 


	8. ch8

**Chapter Eight: The Past is the Past  
**  
Jack looked down at himself, checking for blood that he was sure would be staining his shirt. He didn't feel like he'd been shot, but of course shock might have set in. His eyes met Douglass Pratt's for a moment as he cocked his head in slight confusion. Blood stained the other man's coat.  
  
Ana Maria became visible when Pratt dropped to the floor. Her eyes met Jack's and she gave him a thin smile.  
  
"I thought I ordered you to go with Will," her captain said, attempting to hide a small smile of his own.  
  
"Can't let you have all the fun," she answered as she dropped her pistol to her side.  
  
Emily Pratt stood in horror as she stared at her brother's dead body. She turned her eyes to Jack and then to Ana. "You... you killed him."  
  
"'e was about to shoot my captain," Ana said lowly.  
  
Tears streamed down the other girl's face. "But... but...."  
  
"Miss Pratt, while I am sorry for your loss, as the situation stands, I must ask you to return to England," Commodore Norrington, who no one had really even realized was there, said from behind Jack and Richard.  
  
"But... She killed my brother!" Emily protested. "Aren't you going to hang her?!"  
  
"Self defense, luv," Jack said with a grin. "Or defense of someone else, as it were."  
  
"He would have hung by the end of this," Richard said slowly. "Your brother had a loose tongue when he'd had too much ale. The reason they let Ana Maria go was because they were going to arrest Douglass on the charges of several thefts that would have led them to the murders he's committed over the years."  
  
"You're getting off easy," Norrington said as he eyed her. "I have good reason to believe that you were probably an accomplice with him over the years."  
  
Emily stared in horror for a minute and then took off out the door and down the streets of Port Royal. Norrington turned to look at the people in the room. Will stood with his shoulders squared and looking at the dead man on the floor, as if expecting him to stand again and come after them. Ana Maria was moving toward her captain who looked on the verge of passing out, but he still held a confident grin on his features.  
  
"Where's Marie?" Richard asked.  
  
"She, Elizabeth and the children are back at my home," Will answered. "They're safe."  
  
Richard nodded. "As we should all be now. Both safe and back at the house."  
  
Jack turned two glazed brown eyes towards his stepfather and opened his mouth to say something, but the words never came out. Instead he pitched forward suddenly and felt Richard catch him rather awkwardly. He groaned as everything faded to black.  
  
----------------------------  
  
Jack slowly tugged his jacket over his sore body. Even after a good week of rest he still felt sore and tired. He groaned slightly as he sank to the bed.  
  
"We don't have to heave now," Ana said from the door.  
  
The pirate looked over at her. "Aye, we do, luv. 'm ready to get outa 'ere."  
  
Ana nodded as she wrapped her arms around him. "I love you, you know that, right?"  
  
Jack gave her a thin smile as he pulled her onto the bed beside him. He leaned over her and kissed her. "I know."  
  
"Good, so don't ever order me away again," the dark haired woman growled. "I swear, Jack Sparrow, if you'd 'ave died when I wasn't there, I'd've gone to 'ell to drag yer sorry soul back!"  
  
Jack chuckled as he kissed her again. "'m not leavin' ye any time soon, luv. Count on it."  
  
"I will," she mumbled as she buried her face in his shirt.  
  
The sound of someone clearing their throat at the doorway made the couple jump and all eyes turned to Richard Bruckworth who stood there, looking very uncomfortable. "Very sorry to... interrupt," he mumbled. "But might I have a moment with Jack to discuss some things?"  
  
Ana eyed him warily and Jack nodded, standing. "Why don' ye scurry off to the _Pearl_ an' I'll be 'long in a minute, eh?"  
  
Richard moved aside to allow Ana Maria to pass and then closed the door quietly. He watched his stepson sit back down on the bed, exhaustion beneath the façade he kept up so often. He waited just a moment more before moving to sit beside him. "I suppose we might have some sort of truce after all these years," he said after a long while.  
  
"Perhaps."  
  
Richard shifted. "Marie wanted to let me to let you know that you and Ana Maria are always welcomed at our house if you stop off in London any time."  
  
Jack did not respond as he ran his hand through his hair and then looked up at the elder man. "I don' 'ate ya, ye know," he said at last, receiving a strange look from his stepfather. "I did. If I'd run across you at a different time than I did in a different way, I'd 'ave killed ya, but I didn'." Jack took a long breath, feeling his hands shaking. "I dunno wha' strings ye pulled to 'elp us back there, but I owe ye more'n I'd ever like to."  
  
Richard shook his head. "Repayment for a life that I helped take years ago."  
  
Jack nodded. "Then we're equal."  
  
"Not really, but we're getting that way."  
  
Jack nodded again, not meeting the elder man's eyes. "I need to catch up with Ana. She'll think I passed out or somethin'." He stood and looked back again. "Thank you."  
  
Richard stood and reached out a hand that Jack grasped. The two men shook hands and left the room. The past was the past and there was little they could do to change that fact. Good men die and evil men live, but sometimes, just sometimes, evil men can find the tiny bit of good within themselves. Jack smiled at this. After all, if Will thought that he could be a good man, surely Richard had some hope. He had married Marie, hadn't he?  
  
"Jack?"  
  
Jack looked around to see Ana standing there. "Yeah, luv?"  
  
"Ready?"  
  
"More'n you know."  
  
------------------------  
  
A/N: Sorry it took so long! I've been buys/tired. I've got a couple more ideas but I might give my brain a rest for a few days. I should be working on a fic that Anna Maxwell and I are writing called "Time and Time Again". If anyone likes Gundam Wing, you should go check it out! :) It's over 400 pages long now! Wohoo! Oh, I saw yet another Johnny Depp movie. (I've been catching up on all these movies I didn't know about b/c I didn't really watch anything with Johnny Depp in it until PotC) I saw Once Upon a Time in Mexico. Weeeeiiiiiird movie.... Not sure if I liked it or not. Just can't really make up my mind.  
  
Kungfuchick: Ah! Poor you! A cliffhanger before camp. I'm sorry. But I'm sure you'll be having so much fun that it won't matter, ne? Have fun!  
  
LaVieSansAmour: You named pretty much everyone in the room that we knew was there EXCEPT the person that got shot.... Lol! Oh well! I had one person cheering FOR me to shoot Jack, but I thought "Nah... I'd probably kill him at this point..." I'm glad you liked that one line, and I'm glad I left it in. I came very very close to taking it out completely. You slept this entire time? Oops.... ::grins::  
  
JackFan2: Ah yes, hates everyone, I'm convinced. Eating reviews now... what next? Lol Oh well. Cliffer to end all cliffers, eh? Hehe.... Glad ye liked it, mate!!  
  
Savvy-Rum-Drinker: Oh, I'm a huge torture fan too. One can always tell my favorite character b/c he gets the crud beaten out of him. (typically a him, I don't tend to beat up too much on girl characters) And while I'm trying to semi redeem Richard, he wouldn't go as far as to step into a bullet for Jack. He's trying to get better, but c'mon, it's Richard. Lol. :) I'm thinking about doin' a li'll oneshot that's going to get Jack pretty hurt. Hope you'll read it when it comes out.  
  
KittyKat: Douglass Pratt got shot! :) Sorry for the delay! I feel bad about it... I'm usually very good at getting at least a chapter out a day, but it's been at least two days that I haven't. So sorry!  
  
Thanks very much, everyone! See ya next story! 


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